Knockdown furniture.



No. 731,223. PATENTED JUNE 16; 1903.

J. RICHARDS.

KNOGKDOWN FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7. 1902.

no MODEL.

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MM W M11166 R'xchcttds I I B9 4 52 I UNITED STATES Patented June 16,1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

KNOCKDOWN FURNITURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,223, dated June 16,1903. Application filed July 7, 1902. Serial No. 114,585. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan,haveinvented certainnew and useful Improvements in Knockdown Furniture;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in knockdown furniture, and moreespecially to sectional bookcases; and its object is to provide improvedmeans for connecting the parts forming the shelves and end sections, toprovide improved means for supporting and operating the front of thesections, to provide a cheap and simple device, and to provide the samewith certain new and useful features, hereinafter more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of a deviceembodying my invention with parts broken away and partially in verticalsection;'Fig. 2, a detail of one side of the same, partially broken awayand partiallyin vertical section; Fig. 3, a perspective detail oftheadjacent ends of the end sections, and Fig. 4. the same of portionsof one of the shelves.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

To provide simple and effective means for connecting and alining the endsections to each other and for supporting the shelves and holding theends of the case in parallel vertical planes, I provide the adjacent andabutting ends of each end section with opposing dovetail recessesadapted to receive a dovetail tenon on the end of the shelf, a part ofeach tenon being recessed into'the respective adjacent ends-of the endsections, whereby the end sections are connected and alined and theshelf is supported in place and also ties the respective ends of thecase together, thus dispensing with all special fastenings of metal andat the same time effectively anddetachably securing the ends and shelvesin place. To hold the ends in vertical planes and at right angles to theshelves, the backs are formed square at the ends and abut against theends and are provided with tongues engaging grooves in the ends, wherebythe backs are held in place and the ends held vertical. provided withsimilar recesses to engage the shelftenons, and all the parts whenassembled are firmly secured and substantially held in place without theuse of special fastenings of metal or other fastenings than thedescribed arrangement of dovetail recesses, dovetail tenons on the endsof the shelves, and the backs abutting against the opposite endsections.

I have shown two tenons to each end of a shelf; but obviously more orless may be used at pleasure.

To support and operate the front of each section, I provide a stud oneach end section projecting inward therefrom and supportingstripsextending horizontally rearward in the plane of each stud and inclinedways at their forward ends, on which strips and studs the door is.supported in a horizontal position within the upper part of each sec-The base and top sections are tion when open and vertical stripsengaging the fronts and preventing the same from swinging inward whenclosed. I also provide each front with suitable inclined recesses ineach end and near the upper angles thereof 'to receive the studs. Saidrecesses open laterally inward, whereby the studs are freely enteredinto and removed from said recesses as the inner edge of the fronttraverses the ways, and the door is pivoted directly above its center ofgravity,'and thus closes with less violence and at the same time isproperly supported in place when closed. I prefer'to use friction-rollson said studs, as shown.

Referring again to the drawings, A represents the end sections of thecase, adapted to be arranged in vertical planes and one above the other.

B represents the opposing dovetail recesses in the adjacent ends of theend sections, each pair of recesses being only sufficient to receive oneof the tenons on the shelf,whereby each tenon is partially within therespective adjacent ends of two end sections.

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0 represents the shelves, provided with the dovetail tenons D at therespective ends adapted to engage and fit within the recesses B.

A is the base-section, and A the cap-section, also provided with therecesses B,whereby they are held in place by the tenons on the shelves.'

Erepresents the fronts, each provided with the laterally open andinclined recesses F in their respective ends and within the planes ofits inner and outer sides and adapted to engage the studs G, projectinginward from the end sections A and pivotally support the front thereon.

H represents the horizontal supporting- 'are readily assembled ordetached without the use of tools and when assembled form a stablestructure. The front when closed is pivotally supported on the studsdirectly above its center of gravity, and'when raised to a substantiallyhorizontal position and slid inward it will traverse the studs on theinclined forward side of the recesses and run the door upward and inwardupon the studs, and the rear of the front will be supported on thestrips H when fully run into the case, the inclined ways H serving toengage and guide the rear edge of the door in case it is inad vertentlyraised too high at the outer side, and when drawn forward in likehorizontal or slightlyinclined position thestudswill reenter therecesses and again pivotally support the front. It will also be observedthat any one front can be readily detached without disturbing any otherpart of the structure by carrygening the front or lower side of the samehigh enough and drawing the same outward,where by the rear or upper edgeengages the inclines H and prevents the studs from rentering therecesses in the front or by holding the front high enough to preventsuch reentering of the studs into the recesses.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a knockdown sectional structure, the combination of abutting endsections having dovetail recesses partially in each section, and shelveshaving dovetail tenons formed on the ends thereof and detachablyinserted in said recesses and partially within the respective abuttingend sections.

2. The combination of a case, studs projectinginward from the ends ofthe case, supports at the rear of the studs, downwardly and forwardlyinclined ways, and a front to the case having laterally-open recesses inits respective ends, to detachably engage the studs,and pivotallysupport the front thereon.

3. The combination of a case, studs projecting inward from the ends ofthe case,strips at the rear of the studs and in the same plane, inclinedways between said strips and studs and extending below the plane of thestuds, and a front to the case, having inclined and laterally-openrecesses in its ends andbetween its inner and outersurfaces todetachably engage the studs.

4:. A knockdown sectional bookcase, consisting of end sect-ions havingopposing dove-' tail recesses in their adjacent ends and verticalgrooves at the back, backs having tongues adapted to engage saidgrooves, shelves having dovetail tenons adapted to engage said dovetailrecesses and to project partially Within the respective end sections,studs projecting inward from the end sections, supports at the rear ofsaid studs and in the same plane, and a front having laterally open andinclined recesses in its respective ends, and between its inner andouter surfaces to engage the studs and pivotally support the frontsthereon.

5. In a knockdown sectional structure, the combination of abutting endsections having recesses partiallyin each section, and shelves havingintegral projections detachably inserted in said recesses and partiallywithin the respective abutting end section, the abutted edges of the endsections lying in mutual en- 1 gagement throughout their entire length.

6. In a knockdown sectional structure, the combination of abutting endsections having laterally-opening recesses partially in each section,and shelves having integral projections snugly fitting the end walls ofthe recesses and partially within the respective abutting end sections.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.-

JAMES RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

LUTHER V. MOULTON, EDWARD R. MONROE.

